Studio - Signature Element Scope

In developing the terraced greenroof to a further level of detail, I will be primarily concerned with three typical conditions;

1.) The typical roof edge/curb condition
2.) The typical transition between the greenroof and the Media Labs
3.) The typical drainage condition, in particular where the drainage empties out into the collector below at the plaza level.

Studio- Develop Signature Element Part 1

((1) identifying the element and describing their reasoning for the
selection)

The signature element that I will be focusing on for further detailed study
will be the greenroof/terraced rooftop gardens. This element is of
particular interest to me as it is a major part of my concept; The Green
Apple...

First, a little background on the value of a greenroof. In addition to being
aesthetically pleasing;

1.) They are comparable to other roof types when considering life cycle cost

2.) They are energy efficient, providing extra insulation in cold weather
and helping keep out heat in the warm weather

3.) They provide sound insulation

4.) They help preserve the roofing membrane

5.) They help retain and cleanse stormwater

6.) They provide usable space where there traditionally was none

(These benefits are from "Design Guidelines for Green Roofs" by Steven Peck
and Monica Kuhn)

The greenroof is an excellent step towards making better use of our
buildings where sustainability is concerned. Traditional roof construction
provides a horizontal plane to store rooftop equipment and hide "stink
pipes." It is a missed opportunity that can, and should, be taken advantage
of.

Studio Intensive-Comment Recap

The majority of the comments made concerning my project at the Saturday Crit
were rather detailed and space specific. For example, I had a few comments
regarding the size of the ceiling at the main product floor (second level)
and what could be done so that it didn't seem so cumbersome. There were also
comments regarding certain vertical planes and how they could be made more
visually appealing. These were all valuable comments and will be crucial in
my further development of the design.

The most significant of the comments were a bit broader in scope and will
require deeper investigation to begin solving. They were, in no particular
order;

1.) The building presently feels as if it is two structures, one stacked
on top of the other. My main product floor, whose roof also serves as the
bottom level of the terraced garden, provides a visual break between the
lower two levels and the upper 3 as presently designed. This could be
validated, considering that the uses of the top 3 are significantly
different than the bottom 2, but I don't know if I want that break to be so
drastic. I originally foresaw the bottom levels (main floor, mezzanine
level, and level 2) as product and gathering spaces, whereas the top 3 were
to be destination points for field trips, computer labs, cyber café, and
teleconferencing type spaces. Some type of visual separation was intended
and acceptable, but I do not want it to be so overpowering that it
undermines the unity of the building. This will require additional
investigation.

2.) The placement of this building on Copley Square is an excellent
opportunity to engage the square that is not being fully realized by the
present design. There is the beginning of a relationship between the two,
but they are not nearly as connected as they could be. How can this be
rectified?

3.) A driving force behind the concept and the design is the "Green-ness"
of the building. The blurring of the transition between the interior and
exterior is a start, but there is so much more to being a green building
than just having plants and water inside. I will definitely need to further
study the arrangement of the spaces and anticipate the daylighting
characteristics of the building. Am I getting the right kind of sun where I
want it when I need it? Conversely, am I getting the wrong kind of sun where
I don't want it, when I don't need it? It isn't enough just to have it
looking green, it has to BE green for this concept to be realized.

Additionally, there was discussion as to where the break should take place
between the interior and exterior. Should the water feature/seating plaza,
which now spans both the interior and exterior, be fully enclosed in some
type of glass "nana-wall" which can be opened when the weather permits? This
would allow for year round use of the space.

It was also suggested that I may want to look at the buildings relationship
with the alley to its rear. The design presently is completely closed off to
the alley and, at this point, I can't really see any reason to change that.
The alley is not very desirable and I don't choose to engage it. Rather, I
am interested in encouraging the relationship with Copley square to the
front of the building. The alley serves as a decent opportunity to handle
services, i.e. shipping, receiving, waste disposal, etc. without making it a
focal point.

In closing, the comments were all very helpful, from the minute details that
some addressed to the more big picture issues. I will undoubtedly be doing
my best to address them as I move forward with the design.

Portfolio: Concept #1 and early mass modeling

The design problem was a Flagship Apple Store in Boston located the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth across from Copley Square. My concept was summarized graphically by the "Green Apple"; A store whose commitment to the environment becomes evident by its ability to "blur" the transition between the interior and the exterior. As seen below, there is also an element of global interconnectivity between the different stores worldwide. This demonstrates the scale of this issue. It is not enough to have just one "Green Apple" store.....

A gathering/seating plaza with water feature that extends from the interior to the exterior, and vice versa, as well as a terraced rooftop garden visible from throughout the square, were instrumental in bringing the interior and exterior together......

Portfolio: 3-D Model and Perspectives

Select Exterior Views

Select Interior Views

Theory 01.23-Thursday afternoon writing

Rural, Environmental, Green, 2030, Difference, are some random words to describe my thoughts on a potential writing topic… Specifically the “2030 Challenge”…. Set forth by Architect Ed Mazria, this is a challenge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by buildings to zero by the year 2030…

Some questions I have;

1.) I need to understand the challenge fully
2.) As an Architect, what will I be able to do to move toward it?
3.) What will I be able to do to move my profession toward it?
4.) What about my community?? My family??

Focusing specifically on the Bangor/Northern central Maine area, I will need to map out a strategy for meeting the challenge.

1.) Phase 1-Research
a. Understanding the problem
b. Understanding my role in it
c. Understanding my firms role in it
d. Understanding my industries role in it
e. Understanding my families role in it
f. Understanding my communities role in it

2.) Phase 2-Strategy
a. Formulate the necessary steps to make a change
b. What will I need to do?
c. Who can help me?
d. Who can I help?
e. What resources will I need?
f. What is the timeline
g. What will my milestones be?

3.) Phase 3-Implementation
a. Set the plan into motion
b. Evaluate the results
c. Re-evaluate the plan
d. Am I making the change?
i. If not, why?
ii. If so, can I do better?


(Affinity Group member 1 comments)

Will you change or improve upon the past as you move into the future or will it be all new from here on out? Take the case of the automobile; today (in Ohio for example) you don’t have car inspections where the older 1970s and 1980s cars are polluting the air. The same can be said w/older buildings. Poor HVAC, overused HVAC, which uses more fossil fuels and electricity, thus polluting the air and environment. Newer facilities by current construction standards are more efficient. They could be better though. So, one point of contention would be how to bring older facilities up to current standards with education, advocacy and implementation the rest should follow.



(Affinity Group member 2 comments)

I have limited exposure to sustainable design other than the information presented at seminars. I am familiar with it, but have never implemented it. It seems some building typologies are embracing it, specifically government and educational and health care industries. How do we promote this involvement on a smaller scale? The masses don’t use schools, hospitals, and such on a daily basis. Homes, retail spaces, and smaller building typologies like churches and such are the pre-dominant built fabric of our environment. Without changing these typologies, the green building movement will have a weaker impact. Is legislation the answer in a capitalist society? Force the masses to comply by code requirements?

Theory.02 . great quote

"putting a sign that requires twelve seconds to read in a place where customers spend four seconds is just slightly more effective than putting it in your garage." paco underhill

Message? understand how the space is used or youre wasting everybodys time.. Brilliant...

Studio.02 - "Filling in the Blanks"

After producing the associated Plans and Sections, the question came up as to the process in creating an entire 3-d space from a simple perspective view. The question could be rephrased to ask, "can a perspective view communicate more about the space than just whats in the shot?" I would guess, yes, to an extent. You can gather things like architectural style and materials. You might also be able to speculate on size and placement due to things like elements in the foreground, or access to natural lighting.... for these drawings, I had an idea as to the layout of the room because I was inundated with other views of the same room while picking my screen shots. For this excercise, I mostly handled the variable elements "outside" of the shot as flexible and completely up to me... That being said, thinking about it in these terms, if I were to approach a similar problem with the goal of recreating the room with a certain degree of accuracy, I would start by looking at any reflective surfaces in the view.... but thats kind of cheating.... then there is furniture layout... I can be pretty certain that the head of a bed, for example, is against a wall... likewise for counters and dressers in the foreground which tell me something about the extents of the space. Circulation area may very well lead to doors or openings... details like wainscoting that exist on both walls in the view, probably continue throughout the room... shadows, preferably cast by objects outside of the shot, can fill in all kinds of missing information also..... so, I would argue that logic can be applied to help fill in the missing pieces

Studio Assignment 2- Instructions

(Taken from Instructor's Blog)

Activity: The assignment for week 2 will focus on the translation of 3D imagery to 2D line drawings. You are to use conventional 2D line drawings (plan and section) to create a space/environment that will allow for the screen shot perspectives to “occur” within that space. You should focus on a single area/perspective.

Purpose: This exercise gets you to focus on dissecting perspectives and deriving the spatial construct required to allow the perspectives to “occur”.

Product: You are to prepare 2 distinct sets of drawings (plan and section) that propose two alternative strategies for achieving the space depicted in ONE of the screen shots you selected for assignment 1.

Studio Assignment 2- Scheme A

Studio Assignment 2- Scheme B

Theory-"Obvious isn't always apparent" P.Underhill

I am about one fifth of the way through "The Science of Shopping" by Paco Underhill. Likening it to a Tom Clancy read, versus Bickford's "poetry," is a decent analogy. It moves quickly, doesn't require a lot of digging, and keeps my interest.

At this stage, I am most impressed with one of his simple observations; "There are certain physical and anatomical abilities, tendencies, limitations and needs common to all people, and the retail environment must be tailored to these characteristics." If you could change just one word in that quote, and have it be an architectural mantra, I would suggest that you change "retail" to "Built." Much like Herb's latest post concerning the ill designed toilet, how often do designer's lose sight of who they are designing for? The human animal...... And if we learn nothing else from Underhill's writing, we should at least take away that, the better a designer understands those which he/she designs for, the better his/her designs should be....

So, this is the problem...What is the solution?? Pay attention!! Study, research, read, listen.... Test, and re-test our pre-conceptions to verify the accuracy of our beliefs.... If the CEO of a multi-billion dollar retail chain can not know the actual conversion rate within his store, we all are most likely missing pieces of the puzzle here and there which could help us better understand the human condition..... and in turn make us better at what we do...

Studio Assignment 1-More questions than answers

It fascinates me, as I look through each of the posted diagrams thus far, how different the approaches are....some are focusing on a specific element common to many of the shots.. others, such as my own, energy within the views, and still others, the underlying geometry and patterns....now that we have each found our own way to approach the problem, I would be interested in finding out if we can find any types of themes?? does certain geometry illicit certain responses?? do certain furniture layouts, or furniture types for that matter make the view more or less relatable?? This feels like one of those projects that will leave us with more questions than answers once it it is done... as some of the best projects do of course....

Studio Assignment 1-Perspective analysis

A perspective is an attempt to communicate 3-d information on a 2-d surface in the most realistic means possible. Characteristics of the perspective play a vital role in the tone we set in our communication, and in turn will play a role in how affective that perspective is..

Studio Assignment 1-Artistic perspective

Artistic

In an Artistic perspective, the view is static and devoid of energy……an Artistic perspective does not concern itself with the viewers participation in it, but instead appeals to a viewers sense of aesthetics…It seeks to convey a scene as pleasurable through things like composition and color…The viewer is able to appreciate the view without becoming invested in it.

An Artistic perspective can be achieved by:

1. Not including animate objects…scale is achieved through other readily identifiable objects.
2. Traditional artistic principles such as balanced composition, color, pattern, texture, etc….the viewers eyes are pulled from point to point throughout the view, not limited to any one portion….
3. Primary and secondary focal points, i.e. tub vs. urinal, give the viewer something to study in depth, without providing a “visual vacuum”…..multiple focal points can play off of one another……

Studio Assignment 1-Voyeuristic perspective

Voyeuristic

In a Voyeuristic perspective, not only is the viewer not invited to participate, but the other participants aren’t even aware of their presence…they observe from a hidden vantage point in secret….this results in a sense of guilt on the part of the viewer as if they have some unfair advantage over the participants…

A Voyeuristic perspective can be achieved by:

1. Setting up the view from some “unnatural” vantage point. In this case from high above.
2. The view is slightly distorted….it is unlike a “natural” viewing experience.
3. The energy within the view is completely inaccessible to viewer and shielded by the participants, who sit with their backs toward the viewer….almost vulnerable…..

Studio Assignment 1-Exclusive perspective

Exclusive


In an Exclusive perspective, the viewer is not invited to participate in the view, but instead, observes from the outside looking in….this results in a feeling of detachment and an inability to relate to the participants……


An Exclusive view can be achieved by:

1.Physical boundaries, in this case elements of the stair, as well as the difference in elevation between the viewer and the other participants, separate the viewer from the “event” (energy). It is inaccessible.
2. Inability of the view to capture the complete picture. Only portions of the participants are in the view….there is just enough information, i.e. the sliver of a door in the top right hand corner, to make the viewer feel like they are not getting the entire picture…they aren’t privy to everything that is going on…
3. The other participants are standing, and almost confronting each other….there is an aggressive/confrontational feel to the view, and it is not welcoming……

Studio Assignment 1-Inclusive perspective

Inclusive

In an Inclusive perspective, the viewer is invited to participate in the view…they are part of the setting, conversation, or activity…this results in a sense of mutual understanding and comfort….very effective when trying to get the viewer to relate or empathize…

An inclusive view can be achieved a variety of ways….for example, in the diagram:

1. The setting is not the focus, it is merely the background…the cool and quiet colors put the viewer at ease, and make it possible for the real focus, the conversation or activity, to jump out and be overemphasized…
2. There are no boundaries to separate the viewer from the activity. While the furniture in the foreground runs beyond the extents of the view, it does not cut the viewer off…..if anything, it gives the impression of running behind the viewer, further enforcing the sense of inclusion….
3. Perhaps most importantly, the viewer is allowed access to the concentration of energy, which is the true focus, within the view….lines of sight are all at roughly the same elevation……close proximity to the other participants and “a space at the table” make the viewer feel welcome…….

Studio Assignment 1-Perspective analysis

A perspective view is an attempt to communicate 3-d information on a 2-d surface in the most realistic means possible. Characteristics of the perspective play a vital role in the tone we set in our communication, and in turn will play a role in how affective that perspective is..



Inclusive

In an Inclusive perspective, the viewer is invited to participate in the view…they are part of the setting, conversation, or activity…this results in a sense of mutual understanding and comfort….very effective when trying to get the viewer to relate or empathize…

An inclusive view can be achieved a variety of ways….for example, in the diagram:

1. The setting is not the focus, it is merely the background…the cool and quiet colors put the viewer at ease, and make it possible for the real focus, the conversation or activity, to jump out and be overemphasized…
2. There are no boundaries to separate the viewer from the activity. While the furniture in the foreground runs beyond the extents of the view, it does not cut the viewer off…..if anything, it gives the impression of running behind the viewer, further enforcing the sense of inclusion….
3. Perhaps most importantly, the viewer is allowed access to the concentration of energy, which is the true focus, within the view….lines of sight are all at roughly the same elevation……close proximity to the other participants and “a space at the table” make the viewer feel welcome…….




Exclusive


In an Exclusive perspective, the viewer is not invited to participate in the view, but instead, observes from the outside looking in….this results in a feeling of detachment and an inability to relate to the participants……


An Exclusive view can be achieved by:

1. Physical boundaries, in this case elements of the stair, as well as the difference in elevation between the viewer and the other participants, separate the viewer from the “event” (energy). It is inaccessible.
2. Inability of the view to capture the complete picture. Only portions of the participants are in the view….there is just enough information, i.e. the sliver of a door in the top right hand corner, to make the viewer feel like they are not getting the entire picture…they aren’t privy to everything that is going on…
3. Context...The other participants are standing, and almost confronting each other….there is an aggressive/confrontational feel to the view, and it is not welcoming……





Voyeuristic

In a Voyeuristic perspective, not only is the viewer not invited to participate, but the other participants aren’t even aware of their presence…they observe from a hidden vantage point in secret….this results in a sense of guilt on the part of the viewer as if they have some unfair advantage over the participants…

A Voyeuristic perspective can be achieved by:

1. Setting up the view from some “unnatural” vantage point. In this case from high above.
2. The view is slightly distorted….it is unlike a “natural” viewing experience.
3. The energy within the view is completely inaccessible to viewer and the participants sit with their backs to the view….almost vulnerable…..



Artistic

In an Artistic perspective, the view is static and devoid of energy……an Artistic perspective does not concern itself with the viewers participation in it, but instead appeals to a viewers sense of aesthetics…It seeks to convey a scene as pleasurable through things like composition and color…The viewer is able to appreciate the view without becoming invested in it.

An Artistic perspective can be achieved by:

1. Not including animate objects…scale is achieved through other readily identifiable objects.
2. Traditional artistic principles such as balanced composition, color, pattern, texture, etc….the viewers eyes are pulled from point to point throughout the view, not limited to any one portion….
3. Primary and secondary focal points, i.e. tub vs. urinal, give the viewer something to study in depth, without providing a “visual vacuum”…..multiple focal points can play off of one another……

(diagrams to follow)

"Architect as Social and Political being"

Design citizenship and the vita activa....architectural design as a service
to the greater good......This is an interesting and noble concept....one
which I did not initially pick up from Bickford's writing.....

My first reaction, as you can most likely tell, took a defensive
tone....."What, the built environment the problem??? The hell you say!!!"
While I stand by my initial post, I choose to take a different approach this
time around.....Now that I have had some more time to ponder the issue....

My initial post portrayed Architects as "homo faber," or "man the
maker".....Designer as craftsman, with little obligation beyond the
craft......service providers, not policy makers.......

If nothing else, from a design standpoint, Bickford's writing at least makes
me think about whether or not it should be that way, and how we can change
it.....How can I take advantage of the opportunities that I will be given to
impact the built environment for the greater good?? How can I make sure that
every project I come in contact with can be more than a "solution to a
problem??"....... How can I inject my sense of Design citizenship into my
designs and, all corny-ness aside, make the world a better place????

The first step is becoming aware of the issue....accepting that this
profession, should it choose, can make a difference, for better or worse,
where the greater good is concerned.... We can help define the problems
instead of just trying to solve them...

It's a start...........

Studio Assignment 1: Preface

I have begun to organize my thoughts concerning the first Studio assignment.
I began by collecting images....I then began studying them, all the while
keeping the Chris' instructions in the back of my head; "critically study
'perspectives' and develop a series of tools/strategies/methods for
dissecting and analyzing them" and, "you are fee to choose what you want to
diagram and explore within each image, provided that you explain your
logic/reasoning."

Not long after beginning my analysis, it became evident to me that there is
one constant in each of the screen shots.......the viewer....me...I am the
constant to every image I reviewed...the scenery, colors, lighting, and
camera angle, all change, even if only subtly, from shot to shot, but I
remain.

Something else that is ever changing is the relationship between the viewer
and the view...Sometimes I am invited into the view, and sometimes I am
excluded from it.....sometimes it lets me quietly observe what transpires
below, and sometimes it simply desires to please my sense of
vision....characteristics of the view will dictate the viewers relationship
and response to it.

These are the themes that I discovered and will serve as the basis of my
diagrams to follow soon.....

"Constructing Inequality"- My thoughts

Before I get started with my post, I have learned a cool tip that some of
you who are new to blogging, like myself, might find interesting. Thru your
blog settings you can create an email address that will allow you to post
blogs via email. This is especially handy if you are trying to post from a
PDA, some of which don't easily allow you to post. Very nice......plus, this
has the added benefit of allowing you to create your post with your email
program and use things like spell check........very very nice.......

Okay, so where was I......Oh yes, Susan Bickfords "Constructing
Inequality".......forgive me for oversimplifying Ms. Bickford's thesis, but
I have a tendency to do that sometimes.....my conclusion after finishing the
paper, is that the author 1.) has had a bad experience with either a gated
community, or the ghetto, or a downtown somewhere, or all of these, and/or
2.) misunderstands the role that the built environment plays in our
society....... Let me expound upon the latter.

Design is produced by the designer........it is the tangible solution to
some 3-dimensional problem......now there are better solutions, and worse
solutions, judged by a whole host of factors, most importantly how "well"
the problem has been addressed......My point here is that design is a
REFLECTION of society's percieved wants and needs........should I work on
designing a "bum friendly" park bench???? Or maybe a "bag-lady friendly"
enclosure around a restaurant dumpster??? Of course not, (unless it is in
the program, because then I want the bum friendliest bench on the
planet).......I do this so I do not encourage bums to sleep on these benches
or frequent these enclosures.....I design gates around communities because,
like it or not, some people want to live inside a community that is
protected by a gate........does that mean that I think societies treatment
of the homeless is what it should be, or that I want to run out and by a
home in a gated community???....not at all.....what it does mean however is
that I think that author is inaccurate of her portrayal of the space/society
relationship when she states, "space and society are more interactive than
that, more mutually constitutive."........Yes the built environment can
evoke emotions and reactions....you may even say manipulate
behavior.......but the fact is that, just like the presence of mall security
is a reaction to a cause (namely theft), the built environment is a reaction
to a cause (namely, the percieved wants and needs of its
inhabitants)........

Now, all of this being said, bad design is bad design.....plain and
simple.......ever since residential design fell predominately in the hands
of builders and developers post-depression, and suburbia was born post WWII,
a general decline in quality of homes and neighborhoods has been pretty
evident......likewise, without some real effort on the part of the decision
makers, how can anyone really expect low income housing to feel like
anything less than that?? There is always the opportunity for designers to
create better places, and interject more socially responsible solutions as
we are able....but in the end, our solutions are problem driven........and
if people want to live in gated communities, and municipalities want to get
low income housing for as cheap as possible, and town managers don't want to
encourage the homeless to take up residence in their parks, we as the
designers will continue to come up with the best possible solutions for the
problems that they present to us......the authors contentions are societal
problems, brought to light by design, but by no means attributed to it....

Lastly, if the United States can be considered a successful democracy, and
be made up of multiple states, and each state can be made up of multiple
municipalities, why can't each municipality be made up of smaller
communities and neighborhoods of likeminded individuals? Ethnocentricism, as
I understand it, is a normal social condition.........as long as we all
remember that, in a democracy, our allegiance lies with the greater
community as a whole......

And, in the immortal words of Forrest Gump....."That's all I have to say
about that"..................

Test

This is a test post via email…….

 

Introduction

This is my very first time "blogging" so I am going to take it very slow, and make it very short....I can't wait to get rolling!!!